HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: Graduates look forward

New venue talk of CHS, LVHS events

Kimberley Parker/Special to the Standard-Times Lakeview's Ms. Kading gets a surprise group hug from her senior English class students before they walk the stage to receive their diplomas during Saturday's 2012 Graduation at the ASU Junell Center Stephens Arena.

ABOVE: Billy Norman waves to his friends and family Saturday morning as Central High School graduating seniors took their seats before the commencement ceremony. Jennifer Rios/Standard-Times

LEFT: Marlina Argote and Gilbert Armendarez take their place in line before walking into the Stephens Areana for the 2012 Lakeview Commencement on Saturday. This is the first year Lakeview graduates have walked across the stage in the ASU Junell Center, Stephens Arena. Kimberley Parker/ Special to the Standard-Times

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Morning and night Saturday, the atmosphere in the Stephens Arena/Junell Center was charged with enthusiasm — and air conditioning.

Breaking several years of tradition, the San Angelo Independent School District this year held commencement exercises for Lake View and Central High Schools on the Angelo State University campus.

"Part of it was because of the heat," said Toni Daniel, assistant principal at Central. "It was 108 (degrees at San Angelo Stadium) last year and 120 on the field. We were having medical issues.

"We were also wanting it to be a little more formal, and (having it at the Junell Center) allows us not to plan two ceremonies in case of (inclement) weather."

Lake View, which traditionally has held its graduations at Foster Communications Coliseum, moved this year's ceremony to accommodate Central, said Lake View Assistant Principal Ron Carroll.

"In the past we've had incidents of bad weather that would have affected Central" and spurred them to move to the Coliseum which, in turn, could delay Lake View's ceremony there, he said.

For Central, which had nearly 600 students walk the stage Saturday morning, the switch to a smaller venue meant each graduate was permitted to bring eight guests.

"It's a change in tradition" and, at first, the students were disappointed," Daniel said. "But once we talked about how we wanted the ceremony to be, they were excited to do it here."

Lake View graduating senior Steven Cavaness said, "It's a break in tradition, and it's something you look forward to since elementary. You watch your brothers and sisters walk across the stage (at the Coliseum), and you're not walking across the same stage."

Inching forward with her line to start the procession to the arena, Central graduate Hannah King said she was excited and nervous to graduate. "It kind of hasn't hit me yet that we're graduating — probably because it's in the morning. It's wake up, time to graduate."

As if to emphasize her point, students — some wearing blank expressions — began filing from the gym at the direction of teachers lined up in the corridor.

"Smile, smile, smile, c'mon smile," Central teacher Rita Frantz called as they passed her. "It's the first day of the rest of your life."

During Central's event, class valedictorian Emily Grover quoted Albert Einstein, urging others to become a person of value rather than one of success, the latter of which typically is measured by power and money. Followed by another speech from Principal Bill Waters, graduating senior Taylor Agan took the stage to play an acoustic, Central Class of 2012-infused version of Green Day's "Time of Your Life."

Lake View, by contrast, had 264 students walking the stage, allowing time for a string of performances from the varsity choir and Chieftain band, and speeches from its top SAT-scoring graduate, salutatorian and valedictorian Roy Nicolas Dehoyos.

Both ceremonies were peppered with applause and raucous cheers — from students excited to move on and their teachers, school administrators and family members who were visibly delighted to witness it.

As the last Central graduate called to walk across the stage, Camden Zeiters fully experienced the finality of his high school days as his classmates and the audience roared with cheers and applause.

"When everyone went crazy, it was like, 'It's over with; it's time to start a new chapter in my life,' " Zeiters said.